FAMILY, friends and customers of the late businessman John Mulholland have raised £58,000 for a charity that cared for him during his illness.
His daughter Shona said raising funds for the Friends of the Cancer Centre in memory of her father allowed them "to give back and thank the nurses that cared for my dad".
Mr Mulholland, who established his well-known car dealership 32 years ago, was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2018 and received treatment and care at the Cancer Centre in Belfast.
During this time, the 55-year-old and his family were supported by a specialist nurse, funded by Friends of the Cancer Centre. He died in August 2019.
This Christmas, his family are urging people to support the Friends of the Cancer Centre's 'Wish Upon A Star' appeal, where a star is dedicated on the charity's virtual Christmas tree with a wish, message or name of a loved one.
Each star requires a £10 donation and John Mulholland Motors will match the donations to support more families affected by cancer.
Ms Mulholland said her family are dedicating their star to her father and the nurses who helped them through a difficult time.
"Dad was always a star that shone in our lives and of the lives of everyone that knew him," she said.
"He was so well known as a businessman, a motorsport enthusiast and as a car sales man, but to us he was just dad. He was our world.
"Friends of the Cancer Centre is a charity that was really close to my dad’s heart, and the heart of my family.
"When my dad fell ill, it was the specialist nurses from Friends of the Cancer Centre who really stood by us and helped us along the way.
"When dad was diagnosed with kidney cancer, we were introduced to our specialist nurse, Melanie, on the very first visit with the oncologist. From that point on, Melanie was always by our side."
Since his death, £58,000 has been raised in memory of Mr Mulholland to support Friends of the Cancer Centre.
"We wanted to give back and thank the nurses that cared for my dad and for my family."
Colleen Shaw from the Friends of the Cancer Centre said the appeal gives people the "opportunity to mark this time of year in a unique and special way".
"Each year we would normally have beautiful Christmas trees in the Cancer Centre, each adorned with stars carrying the special wishes of people across Northern Ireland," she said.
"This year, Covid-19 restrictions have sadly meant that we have had to do things a bit differently, with our stars now taking pride of place on our virtual Christmas tree."
For information, please visit www.friendsofthecancercentre.com
